How Far Would You Go
by Pothangfanfic
Summary: Juliet is wounded and Carlton is on the warpath. This may or may not end up being a Lassiet fic, my muse honestly isn't sure yet. But it will definitely be Carlton/Juliet friendship focused. There will be some adult language, hence the rating.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Psych belongs to Steve Franks, USA Network, and anyone else who owns it.

*OoO*

Carlton Lassiter was walking toward his black Fusion as he heard the telltale beep of the remote control unlocking Juliet O'Hara's VW. They'd just gotten off-duty and both were looking forward to a well-deserved weekend off.

"Detective O'Hara!" Buzz McNab called out. He saw her stop and double-back to where the officer was standing. Honestly, they were _off-duty_. Carlton didn't understand why she was so _polite_ to everyone all the time.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud boom and a blast of heat. The next thing he knew he had pieces of pavement and automobile raining down around him. His ears were still ringing as he struggled to sit up and search for his partner.

She was crumpled on the ground about ten feet from what was left of her car; McNab was a few feet away from her.

"O'Hara!" Carlton pulled himself up, ignoring the burning sensation in his leg. He'd later discover a piece of her VW Bug ended up in his calf. Right now, all he was concerned with was getting to her.

"O'Hara," he repeated as he reached her side and knelt down to check her pulse. It was strong, but she was out and there was a gash down one side of her face. He saw officers coming out of the station. "Call an ambulance!" When they didn't move quickly enough, he bellowed, " _Now!_ "

"Come on, O'Hara, stay with me," he said softly. He kept checking her pulse; feeling relief each time it thumped against his fingertips.

He was moved aside when the paramedics got there. One of them tried to get him to sit in the other rig so they could work on his leg. He told them he was staying with her and if they tried to stop him, he was still carrying his service weapon.

 _That_ shut them up. Even though it would probably earn him another reprimand from the Chief.

Speaking of—

"Carlton, what happened?" Karen Vick stepped out of her car. She'd been at City Hall in a closed-door meeting with the mayor and had just made it back to the station.

He climbed into the ambulance. "I'm going to the hospital with O'Hara, Chief."

"I need you here to tell me what the hell happened!"

"You can call me at the hospital or see me there," he said as the door started to close, "but I'm not letting her go alone." The door slammed shut and the ambulance lurched forward before Vick could say anything else.

*OoO*

Carlton ended his cellphone call after giving his statement to Vick and glared at the doctor washing his wound to flush out the rest of the embedded dirt and concrete after pulling out a piece of metal about an inch long. He swore the little pencil-neck was enjoying this. Especially since he'd demanded to know what was going on with O'Hara and no one would tell him until he got his leg taken care of.

Once the doctor finished bandaging his leg, Carlton was out and searching for O'Hara's room. He could hear the doctor muttering behind him, but he really didn't care. He found the ICU floor and stopped at the desk and asked the nurse on duty where her room was.

"This way," she said as she led him to the room with a uniformed guard in front of it. Vick was taking no chances because the lab had determined O'Hara's car hadn't blown up accidentally; there had been a bomb. The only thing they could tell the chief right now was it was tied to her car remote. When she unlocked the car, it had armed the bomb and started a timer. The only reason she wasn't in pieces was the fact she had stopped to talk to McNab who had escaped with just a few cuts and bruises.

The nurse opened the door and his breath caught as he saw O'Hara. She had tubes everywhere.

"You can stay for 10 minutes and then you're going to have to leave." The nurse, whose name tag said Simmons, told him. He nodded, moving further into the room to take a seat by the bed. He gently put his hand over hers. She was so still. O'Hara was always moving, always talking, always so _alive_.

His thoughts were interrupted by Nurse Simmons. "Detective, this came for you."

She handed him an envelope with just his name on the front. He absently opened it as he kept most of his attention on O'Hara. Until he read it.

 _Too bad she's still alive. I guess I'll have to try harder next time. Then it's your turn._

His hand shook. He stood so fast the chair shoved back several inches. He jerked the door open and barked at the nurse, "Who delivered this?"

She glanced up from her paperwork, startled, "I don't know. When I came back from taking you to Detective O'Hara's room, it was lying on the desk."

Carlton quickly turned back to the officer at the door. "Are there any other cops here?"

"Yes sir. They came by to see Detective O'Hara."

"Get them up here now. He's here."

"Sir?"

"The bastard who tried to kill O'Hara. He's somewhere in the hospital." Carlton fingered the envelope as his mind raced. There wasn't time for the man to mail the letter, so it had to be hand delivered. He could hear the uniform calling it in. He desperately wanted to join the search, but he wasn't about to leave her alone again.

"Call security. I want this hospital locked down. No one goes in or out without my approval." he told the nurse. She nodded and picked up the phone. A moment later, she confirmed hospital lockdown.

The uniform gave him a nod. The other officers were searching. Hopefully, the son-of-a-bitch hadn't gotten away.

*OoO*

Carlton wearily entered the station an hour later. A search of the hospital hadn't turned up anyone suspicious and he'd had to call off the lockdown. Now he wanted to see what progress had been made on this end.

He saw through the conference room windows that a whiteboard with the case's information had been set up. He changed direction from his desk to head to the conference room.

"So, what have we got?" he asked as he entered. Vick was sitting at the table with four other detectives.

"Give us the room, please?" Vick said. The others left and Carlton _knew_ he wasn't going to like what she said next.

"Sit down, Detective."

"Why?"

"Just _sit down_ , Carlton."

He sat.

Vick paused and he knew what was coming.

"No, no, no. No way in _hell_."

"Detective!" Her voice was hard.

"No!" he almost yelled. "There is no way you're not letting me have this case."

"Carlton, you're too close to this."

"You're damn right I'm close to this. Whoever put a bomb in O'Hara's car tried to kill my _partner_!"

"And that's _precisely_ why you can't be a part of the investigation," Vick continued. "You have to let someone who isn't as emotionally involved handle this!"

He shook his head vigorously. "No way in hell," he snarled again. "This is my case."

Vick's spine straightened. "No, it's not," she said with authority, "and since I'm still the one who runs this place, I have the final say. You're off this case!"

Carlton knew she wasn't going to budge and he made a decision.

"Fine," he said quietly.

He stood up and Vick breathed a sigh of relief until she saw what he was doing next. "Lassiter, don't do this."

"Sorry, Chief, I don't have a choice." With that, he lay his gun and his badge on the table and walked out.

Vick stared at the items in front of her and wondered when she'd lost control of the situation and her head detective.

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Psych belongs to Steve Franks, USA Network, and anyone else who owns it.

Author's Note: I just started a new job, so updates on this story may slow down a bit. But it will be finished. I've never posted a story I didn't finish.

*OoO*

Chapter 2

*OoO*

Carlton sat beside Juliet O'Hara's bedside and wondered if—no, _when_ she woke up what she would have to say about his resignation. He'd surprised himself by not only resigning, but by being okay with it. He loved his job as a cop, but being able to find who did this meant more.

Nurse Simmons opened the door. "Detective, may I talk to you?"

He met her in the hall, quietly closing the door behind him. "I'm not a detective anymore, but what can I do for you?"

"I found this on the nurses' station when I came on shift just now. I don't know how long it's been there," she said, anticipating his next question. "The nurse I relieved does her shift-end paperwork in the breakroom." She held the envelope in a gloved hand. "I've seen enough TV shows," she answered his unspoken question with a sheepish smile.

Carlton took out gloves of his own from his pocket and opened the letter.

 _You both deserve to die for what you did and I intend to see you do._

He gritted his teeth. This proved what he thought. This hadn't been a random hit on a cop. Whoever this whack job was, O'Hara had been the target. "Thank you," he said to the nurse, "I'll take it from here." She returned to the station desk.

He turned to the uniform stationed at the door. "No one goes in or out unless they've been cleared." The officer nodded. Even without a badge, Carlton inspired respect and a healthy dose of fear.

*OoO*

"Chief?" Vick saw McNab standing at her door. "Detect—I mean _Mr_ _._ Lassiter is here to see you."

Her eyebrows rose a notch in surprise. "By all means, show him in." A moment later Carlton was sitting down in front of her. "Carlton, I'm glad you're reconsidered your decision."

He shook his head. "I haven't reconsidered."

"Then why—"

"Another letter was delivered to O'Hara's room at the hospital. Well, to the nurses' station outside her room," he amended. "I've been careful with it. The nurse who found it was wearing gloves and I wore gloves too." He had placed the letter in a plastic bag and put it on her desk. "Sorry, but I didn't have an evidence bag."

She called a detective to collect the letter. He gave Carlton a questioning look as he left.

"Please sit down," she asked as Carlton stood to leave.

"Why?" he said. "Unless you've changed your mind." He really hoped she did. He stood by his decision, but it didn't mean he didn't miss his job.

"You know I can't." She sat back and gestured to the chair he'd just vacated. "Please. Sit."

He reluctantly did as she asked.

"How are you doing?"

He fidgeted. "I'm fine. I'm not the one who was blown up."

"No, you're just the one who watched your partner get blown up and then quit your job."

"It's not the same."

"No, it's not," she agreed. "But it's still traumatic." She straightened. "At any rate, that's not what I want to talk to you about. Since you no longer work for me, I want to know what you're planning to do."

"I _plan_ to protect my partner. The note I brought in today makes it damn clear she was targeted."

"The notes make it clear you're _both_ targets," Vick corrected.

"Yeah, but I'm not the one in a hospital bed!" he said angrily.

"Fair enough. But that still doesn't answer my question of what you plan to do next. I'd like details," she said before he could get started again.

"I don't think I have to tell you, now do I?" "True. You don't." She leaned forward. "So let me tell _you_ what _I_ plan to do, _officially,_ " she stressed. "I plan to find the bastard who did this and I anticipate doing it without interference from my ex-head detective. However," she said as she leaned back, "there's not much I can do if others decide to help him." She looked at him with a calm, relaxed gaze.

Carlton blinked. He was almost positive Vick had just given her blessing for him to get help from members of the SBPD. She was almost as by the book as he was, so this was a confusing turn of events, to say the least.

"However," she continued, "since the mayor made it crystal clear vigilante justice will not be tolerated, I'm sure neither you nor anyone else in this department plans to go that route, correct?"

God he wished he was better at reading her. "Of course not, Karen. But I'm still not coming back. I think I need to put my energy into helping O'Hara. It's going to be a long recovery for her."

Before she could respond, his phone rang. He recognized the hospital number and answered quickly. After he ended the call, he turned back to the chief. "I have to go; she just woke up."

He was out the door before Vick could say another word.

TO BE CONTINUED


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Psych belongs to Steve Franks, USA Network, and anyone else who owns it.

*OoO*

Chapter 3

*OoO*

Juliet smiled when she saw Carlton. She was still disoriented from waking up after being unconscious for three days so seeing him helped her find her equilibrium.

He smiled at her but she could tell there was something off. "What's wrong? Don't tell me 'nothing' because I can tell something is bothering you."

His smile looked more like a grimace which made her glare suspiciously at him.

"A lot has happened since the explosion," he said.

She made a "go on" motion when he didn't immediately say something. "Start at the beginning."

So he did.

He told her about the bomb, the notes, his firm belief she was the target (she was even more sure they were both a target) and his resignation. She was fairly certain he saved the fact he'd resigned for last because he wanted to get her caught up and he knew the minute he told her he was no longer a cop she would yell at him.

He wasn't wrong.

"What the hell do you mean you resigned?!" She winced as she pushed herself up and put pressure on her dislocated shoulder.

"O'Hara, calm down."

She gently lowered herself back down on the bed with his help. She took a deep breath to work through the pain. "Now, explain to me why you _quit_ the police force?" she asked in a deceptively calm voice.

She was irritated and he was treading lightly.

"I wouldn't be allowed to work this case and," he said, "and I'm not about to trust anyone else to catch this guy." His expression was just as stubborn as his tone.

"Carlton, you can't just quit your _job_." She'd try reasonable even though reasonable rarely worked on him.

"I can, and will, do whatever I need to do to protect you," he said quietly.

She was surprised and shouldn't have been. She knew how loyal he was; she just hadn't realized he was willing to put his _career_ on the line for her.

"So what do I do for a partner when I get out of here?" Her tone was a little whiny, but she had the right dammit! She'd just woken up after being blown up, for Pete's sake!

"To be honest, I didn't think that far," he admitted. "I was more concerned with the here-and-now."

She couldn't fault him. If the roles were reversed she would feel the same. But she wouldn't have him as a partner and she let him know how ticked off she was. She _didn't_ tell him staying at the SBPD might not be an option without him. She knew it would make him uncomfortable and it was a bit more personal than she wanted to be.

"You're tired," she said, changing the subject.

"A little," he admitted.

"A little?" she asked incredulously. "You look like death warmed over."

"Wow, O'Hara, you sure know how to build a guy's ego."

She flushed. "I didn't mean it like that."

He gave her a small smile. "I know."

The nurse came in to tell Carlton visiting hours were over. Juliet yawned while trying to argue about him being thrown out. Neither the nurse nor Carlton would take her seriously between yawns.

"Get some rest, O'Hara. I'll see you in the morning," he said as he stood.

Juliet let the nurse help her get more comfortable. "Carlton, be careful. We don't know who's out there doing this."

He gave her a salute of agreement and left.

*OoO*

Carlton had been extra-observant around the hospital and hyper-vigilant all the way home. He took a longer way home to try and see if anyone was following him. He didn't know who was sending the notes or how they were getting them in, but he'd figure it out. Once he did, he would either have the person responsible for blowing up O'Hara's car or be one step closer. Either way, he'd have made progress.

Henry Spencer's truck sitting in a parking space near his apartment caused him to groan. He didn't want to talk to anyone about his resignation, especially Henry. Henry didn't claim to be psychic, but he was as observant as his son was childish.

"Lassiter," Henry greeted him.

"To what do I owe the honor?"

Henry opened his door and stepped out. "Just wanted to see how you were doing," he said, sliding his hands into his pockets in a deliberate show of nonchalance.

Carlton smirked. The easygoing air didn't fool him a bit. "I'm fine, Henry. O'Hara is the one you should be asking about."

"I've already been to see her. I got there right after you left and the nurse didn't let me stay long. Other than being sleepy, she seems to be on the mend."

"Why are you here?"

"I told you. I want to see how you're holding up. It's not every day you quit a job you've busted your ass for and been at for over 20 years." His eyes were shrewd and dared Carlton to lie to him.

"I don't know what to tell you, Henry. I wanted to work this case and the Chief wasn't going to let me."

"So you quit?"

"So I quit," he confirmed.

"I find it hard to believe you're throwing away your career over a disagreement with Karen."

Carlton shrugged. "I'm not responsible for what you do or don't believe."

"You're not going to give any other explanation?"

"Nope."

Henry have him a frustrated look. "I'm trying to help, Lassiter. I know there's more to it and I'd bet my pension you're planning on investigating on your own."

Carlton hesitated for a split second before making up his mind. No matter what happened next he wasn't going to be guilty of tanking someone else's career, not even Henry's. "Like I said. What you think isn't my problem. Now, unless you've got another reason for being here I'll see you around."

Henry shook his head in exasperation. "Look, I just want to help."

"I'll make a deal with you. If I need help I'll let you know," Carlton said, "but right now I'm going to concentrate on helping my partner get better."

Henry nodded in acceptance as he climbed in his truck. "Good enough. See you around, Lassiter."

Carlton watched him drive off and sighed wearily. Tomorrow he would start his investigation. Tonight he was going to savor a glass of his best Scotch, be thankful O'Hara was on the mend, and get a good night's sleep.

TO BE CONTINUED


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I want to reiterate that I will finish this fic, but it may be slow going. I know I've got a few people reading and following this (thanks for that!) so I didn't want you to think it wasn't going to be finished if a little bit of time goes between updates.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Psych belongs to Steve Franks, USA Network, and anyone else who owns it.

*OoO*

Chapter 4

*OoO*

Carlton woke up the next morning with a minor headache but feeling pretty good overall. His partner was awake and on the mend and he could start working on finding the bastard who almost killed her.

He took a quick shower and began to plan his investigation. He had informants who regularly worked for him. He also knew they wouldn't talk to other cops no matter how much pressure was put on them, so he didn't have to worry about them telling anyone else what they'd told him.

He shrugged on his jacket and put his personal weapon in his shoulder holster. He missed the feel of his police issue, but there wasn't anything to be done about it now.

Time to get things done.

*OoO*

"Hello Tommy," Carlton said as he walked into the pawn shop.

The old man working at the counter looked up in surprise. "Lassiter!" He looked behind Carlton. "Where's your pretty partner?"

"None of your business."

"Aw man, don't be like that. I like her. She's nice which is a lot more than what I can say about you."

Carlton leaned against the counter and glared.

"Okay, okay." Tommy shrank back a little. "I got it, it's not of my business." He shifted nervously. "So, what are you doing here? Last I heard, you ain't a cop no more."

Carlton had forgotten how quickly rumors spread to people like Tommy, which was a stupid thing to do. After all, he came to Tommy _precisely_ because he always had an ear to the ground and always knew what was happening before anyone else.

"Yeah, I resigned." He pushed away from the counter. "But I still need some information from you." He got a belligerent look in return. "Just because I'm not a detective anymore doesn't mean I can't make your life miserable, Tommy."

"How? It ain't like you can arrest me, now is it?"

Where the little snot was getting the courage, Carlton didn't know, but it couldn't have come at a worse time. Time to play a little hardball. He turned the sign from _Open_ to _Closed_ and locked the door.

"Hey, you can't do that!" Tommy protested.

"Oh, I think I can," Carlton said with a smile. The pawn shop owner fidgeted as Carlton pulled him into the room behind the counter and shoved him into a chair. "Now, you're going to tell me what I want to know or you're going to be introduced to a Carlton Lassiter you've _never_ met."

Carlton could see Tommy was worried. If he wanted the information he needed, he was going to have to move him beyond worried straight into scared. He hated doing it because Tommy was a good informant but there was no choice. Besides he wasn't a cop anymore so he didn't need an informant; not after this case at any rate. Plus, he didn't know how long he had until the guy who tried to kill O'Hara tried again.

"Now, as the old saying goes, we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"You won't hurt me," Tommy bluffed, "it's against the rules."

Carlton leaned against the wall. "Normally you'd be right, Tommy. But as you pointed out I'm not a cop anymore. So those rules don't really apply to me." He saw the other man start to sweat. "Someone out there has a beef against me and O'Hara. I want to know who he is. So here's the deal; you tell me what I want to know and I won't hurt you."

"You don't mean that, man." But Tommy's voice was less certain than it had been.

"Tommy, whoever this jackoff is tried to _kill_ my partner." He saw the shock register on the older man's face. "Do you really think I would stop at _anything_ to prevent him from trying again?" He shook his head. "If you do you're dumber than I thought."

"Come on, man," Tommy whined. "I don't know nothin'."

Carlton moved away from the wall. "Oh, I think you do, and you're going to tell me."

Tommy shrank back in the chair. "Look, I'm sorry about your partner, but if I talk, he'll kill me!"

"If you don't tell me what I want to know, you won't need to worry about him, you'll need to worry about me." The ex-detective's voice was cold and he could see Tommy was beginning to believe Carlton would hurt him. "Tommy, her safety means enough to me that I quit my _job_ to work this case."

Tommy's nerve broke. "Okay, okay!"

Carlton stepped back. "Who did this?"

"I don't have a name—"

"Tommy—"

"No, man, I'm serious. I don't know a name," Tommy said quickly. "But I know who does."

"Who?"

"I don't know her full name." He cringed at the look Carlton gave him. "But I know she's a nurse at the hospital and her last name starts with an s." Tommy swallowed hard. "The guy never said her full name. Just called a nurse."

"How do you know her last initial?" Carlton was in interrogation mode to keep himself from panicking at this latest development.

"The guy was mumbling to himself the last time he was here and slipped, but he caught himself before he said her name." Tommy held up his hands pleadingly. "I swear that's all I know." He wasn't scared of much, which is how he usually came by the info he sold to Lassiter, but the fair cop he usually dealt with was nowhere to be seen and the guy taking his place scared the _crap_ out of him.

Carlton looked hard at him. "You'd better be telling me the truth and telling me everything, or I will be back and I won't be happy."

Tommy nodded vigorously. "I am, man, I swear."

Carlton turned on his heel and strode out of the pawn shop without another word.

Tommy sighed hard and looked down. Oh well, he needed to close up anyway. Going home to change gave him a reason.

*OoO*

Carlton made it to his car before his legs gave out. O'Hara was helpless in a hospital with a nurse who was working for the psychopath who'd tried to kill her. He started the car and put it into drive as his mind raced. A nurse whose name started with 'S'. Carlton wasn't a former chief detective for nothing. He had a very good idea who the mystery nurse was and he planned on having a talk with her right now.

His tires squealed as he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal and sped toward the hospital.

TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
